title: Stabilized collagen scaffolds for heart valve tissue engineering.
abstract: Scaffolds for heart valve tissue engineering must function immediately after implantation but also need to tolerate cell infiltration and gradual remodeling. We hypothesized that moderately cross-linked collagen scaffolds would fulfill these requirements. To test our hypothesis, scaffolds prepared from decellularized porcine pericardium were treated with penta-galloyl glucose (PGG), a collagen-binding polyphenol, and tested for biodegradation, biaxial mechanical properties, and in vivo biocompatibility. For controls, we used un-cross-linked scaffolds and glutaraldehyde-treated scaffolds. Results confirmed complete pericardium decellularization and the ability of scaffolds to encourage fibroblast chemotaxis and to aid in creation of anatomically correct valve-shaped constructs. Glutaraldehyde cross-linking fully stabilized collagen but did not allow for tissue remodeling and calcified when implanted subdermally in rats. PGG-treated collagen was initially resistant to collagenase and then degraded gradually, indicating partial stabilization. Moreover, PGG-treated pericardium exhibited excellent biaxial mechanical properties, did not calcify in vivo, and supported infiltration by host fibroblasts and subsequent matrix remodeling. In conclusion, PGG-treated acellular pericardium is a promising scaffold for heart valve tissue engineering.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina 29634, USA.
authors.forename: Mary E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Tedder
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Weed
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stabler
authors.forename: Henry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Agneta
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Simionescu
authors.forename: Dan T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Simionescu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000378:metabolism; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D003094:Collagen / Q000378:metabolism*; D017364:Collagenases / Q000378:metabolism; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents / Q000494:pharmacology; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D006351:Heart Valves / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008422:Materials Testing; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D034421:Sus scrofa; D023822:Tissue Engineering; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D003094:Collagen; D017364:Collagenases; D002118:Calcium